People might look to travel writer Rick Steves for tips on snagging free snacks in Northern Italy or advice on how to spot red flags at European restaurants. However, there's a good chance that folks familiar with his girlfriend, Shelley Bryan Wee, would seek her out for a very different kind of guidance. Since being ordained in 1993, she has been a pastor with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the biggest Lutheran church in North America.

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Wee attended Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications Arts and a minor in Business Administration. She went on to obtain her Master of Divinity degree from what is now Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. Since 2019, Wee has served as bishop of the Northwest Washington Synod of the ELCA, overseeing roughly 100 churches in the state of Washington.

The ELCA is a progressive church, and along with other ELCA bishops, Wee has spoken about the inherent dignity in all people and the importance of standing up for the vulnerable. In a letter posted online in 2024 by Steves, who is also Lutheran, Wee wrote that "we are called to stand against injustice, and to remind everyone that, in God's eyes, every single person is loved and beloved" (Facebook).

Steves and Wee share a passion for social justice

Rick Steves and Shelley Bryan Wee started dating in December of 2019. "When I first met him and was interested in him, he was Rick Steves, and I knew him from that," Wee told The Seattle Times. "But one of the things that attracted me to him was his ethics and his moral grounding." Steves himself felt grounded by his relationship with Wee as they weathered the lockdowns of the coronavirus pandemic together, gaining a new appreciation of homecooking and spending time with dogs (Wee is a dog mom).

Steves is divorced, and both he and Wee have adult children from their previous relationships. They share a fondness for traveling. In 2025, they visited Italy (a country where Steves has enjoyed some unforgettable food). They also value gathering with loved ones as well as social activism and advocacy. In early 2026, the couple held an impassioned presentation in Edmonds, Washington (where Rick Steves' Europe, Inc. is headquartered), called "The Traveler, the Bishop, American Democracy, and Christian Nationalism." Both spoke on the importance of being good citizens in a democracy and, in Wee's case, what it means to be a Christian today.